1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to apparatus for preventing the rocking movement of a rocking chair and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to unattached apparatus which may be placed under platform rockers or rocker-recliners to prevent the rocking thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art (Prior Art Statement)
The following statement is intended to be a prior art statement in compliance with the guidance and requirements of 37 C.F.R. 1.56, 1.97 and 1.98.
U.S. Pat. No. 633,398 issued to Straube discloses a combined rocking chair and bath which is proposed to include a plurality of blocks for placement under the curved rocker bars of the rocking chair to adjustably fix the position of the bath.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,323,946 issued to Wright indicates on anit-rocking device for rocking chairs. This device is proposed to be a strip of metal having one end attached to a block and having the other end pivotally connected near the front end of the bottom surface of a curved rocker bar. It will be noted upon examination of FIG. 2 of the Wright patent that the attachment of a single device to a rocking chair does not necessarily totally immobilize the chair because rearward rocking can still be obtained.
In addition to the above proposals which need not be initially constructed with the integral parts of a rocking chair, there are anti-rocking devices which have been proposed as integral parts of their respective rocking chairs.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,292,061 issued to Rick proposes one such type of chair. This proposal converts from a rocking mode to a non-rocking mode by having the rear portions of its rocker bars pivoted upward to provide a footing between the pivot points and the surface upon which the rocking chair is placed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,325,716 issued to Streit discloses another chair having rocker elements which are convertible from a rocking mode to a non-rocking mode. This patent proposes a rear support element which is pivotally connected to the base of the chair. By appropriately rotating the rear structure, either a fixed position or a rocking position is obtained.
Still another convertible rocking chair is dislosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,407,839 issued to Lemos. This chair is proposed to include rocker bar members which are pivotally connected to stationary front legs of the chair for pivoting thereabout by means of mechanical linkages. When the linkages are in one position, the rocker bars are lowered to provide a rocking mode. When the linkages are in another position, the rocker bars are raised to provide a non-rocking mode.
In addition to the above patents, Applicant also knows of one patent which is directed to rocker-recliners. In this patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,352,601 issued to Cycowicz, there is proposed a chair having integral thereto a mechanical linkage which can be manipulated to prevent the chair from rocking.
These patents indicate that there is a need for a device which prevents a rocking chair from rocking. However, there is also a need for such a device to be a single stucture to obviate the need of having to place a plurality of individual elements at a plurality of locations under the chair. There is also the need for such a device to completely stop both the forward and rearward rocking movements.
A further need is for such a structure to be compact so that it can be easily handled by the user. Such compactness will insure that such a device will be unobtrusive to both a person sitting in the chair and a person walking in the vicinity of the chair.
Still another need is for the device to be unattached from the rocking chair. Having the device unattached allows it to be used with previously manufactured chairs and precludes having to redesign future chairs to incorporate an integral-type stopping device. This creates savings in the size, weight and cost of future rocking chairs; yet permits the rocking movement to be stopped as desired.
Also there is a need for such a device to be free of moving mechanical parts to reduce maintenance.
Despite the existence of these needs, the prior art known to Applicant fails to satisfy them. In general, the previously mentioned patents fail to propose anti-rocking devices which obtain complete stoppage of rocking movement with a single element device. Some of the patents fail to propose devices free to mechanical linkages. Many of the proposed devices are not unattached from their chairs which thus may add to the bulk, obtrusiveness and expense of the chairs.
In light of these and other shortcomings, Applicant believes that no previously disclosed device which is known to him indicates, either singly or in combination, the present invention.